Page 44 of We Shouldn't Be Together
I pull out my notebook and open to the last page I wrote on. “Take a photo with your phone. I don’t have time for you to copy it down.”
She fishes inside the pocket of her skirt. “Fine by me. I feel like I’m gonna catch something if I stand here much longer.”
Steam sizzles out of my shirt collar. “Adisease, you mean?”
She takes a picture of my handwriting, gives me a scowl, and then pushes off the locker to move away.
“Oof.“ Tabitha bounces back after running into someone.
“Tab, are you okay?” her brother Freddy asks, grabbing her shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she says, juggling the books in her arms.
“We were checking if you were ready to leave,” Freddy says, and I gulp at the wordwe.
Behind him steps their older brother, Drew. “Looks like we caught an argument.”
Freddy is broad, with arms that bulge in his blazer sleeves from throwing all those footballs. Also, he’s the brother who fits the Tabitha-approved preppy aesthetic. Drew, on the other hand, scares something deep in my core.
Somehow, in this strict-dress-code school, he’s wearing a black button-down shirt under his blazer—when we’re supposed to wear white—and no mandatory tie. I can’t even comment on the commando-style boots when his hair keeps stealing my attention. It’s haphazardly tied into a topknot and amateurly bleached blonde.
Tabitha makes the comment before I do. “How are you allowed to leave school right now? Shouldn’t you be in detention for wearing that ensemble?”
“Never mind me,” Drew says, waving her off. He has Freddy’s height, not his build, but I don’t have the guts to turn back to my locker and pack my stuff. There’s a rumor Drew’s always packing a crowbar. “What are you doing over here, arguing with this guy?”
“It’s nothing. Just getting my homework.”
Freddy gives me a once-over. “Are you stealing his homework?”
“How could I?” Tabitha argues. “It was assigned today. I just didn’t have the page numbers.”
“I’m not bailing you out again,” Drew blurts.
Freddy gawks at his brother. “You did her homework?”
Drew shrugs. “That fight between her and Mom wasn’t gonna end until her homework was finished. She needed that signature, remember?”
“So?” Freddy’s expression hardens as he stares down his brother. “You never care when our parents are hounding you.”
“Sue me. I wanted to look out for my little sister.”
I edgebackward to my locker. “Looks like a family matter. I’ll leave you all to…”
Freddy stretches his quarterback arm and snatches the lapel of my blazer, yanking me forward in a strong, fluid motion. “Is this guy your new lab partner?”
“He has a name,” I blurt, feeling Freddy’s grip tighten.
Freddy ignores me, turning his attention to his sister. “Tabby?”
She shrugs. “Yeah, he is. So what?”
“Good,” Drew cuts in. “You can study with him.”
“Excuse me?“ Tabitha spits.
“You don’t want Mom losing it at you again,” Drew says matter-of-factly.
Freddy releases my blazer. “You can come home with us, lab partner.”
